Knowledgebase
Cutting Back Hydrangeas #855058
Asked November 10, 2023, 10:33 AM EST
Good morning. I'm trying to find out if I should cut my hydrangea bushes back or just remove the flowers. I read that some varieties bloom from the woody branches and others don't. I've included two pictures of my hydrangea hoping you'd be able to determine which type I have. Thank you for your help.
Wayne County Michigan
Expert Response
Hello,
It is difficult to identify which hydrangea it is from the pictures that you have sent. Unfortunately, their leaves are similar when they become old at the end of the season.
If it bloomed mid-August with large conical white flowers, it is probably a Panicle Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculate). Big leaf hydrangeas, (Hydrangea macrophylla) bloom early summer to fall in a variety of colors, usually pink, white or blue. Smooth hydrangeas (Hydrangea arborescens) bloom from June into the summer with large white floppy flowers. There are other hydrangea species but probably your plants are one of these three.
Read more here: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c313
And here: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=265518
And here: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=s940
Search the internet for images of these hydrangeas in bloom and you will likely be able to identify your hydrangea.
To learn how to prune hydrangeas, read the following: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-news/when-prune-hydrangeas-best-bloom
Thank you for contacting Ask Extension.
